Health was identified as the most important part of ageing well. Health was achieved and maintained primarily through exercise and eating the right food. Participants outlined a number of other preventative health measures in their older years, which included the importance of mental stimulation and having a balanced life.
“Being healthy I think is the number one issue for ageing, it’s very important” – (Helen W)
Health was identified as the most important part of ageing well. Health was achieved and maintained primarily through exercise and eating the right food. Participants outlined a number of other preventative health measures in their older years, which included the importance of mental stimulation and having a balanced life (see Interests and activities).
When participants spoke about being healthy in their older years they generally mentioned the need to eat well. Many people spoke about the importance of eating lots of fruit and vegetables. Some people felt meat was healthy while others had adopted a vegetarian diet as they grew older. Eating healthily meant avoiding foods high in fat and not eating too much white bread or cake. It was important to avoid takeaway or junk food, and also to eat as little processed food as possible. Participants said that being able to cook for themselves was a crucial part of staying healthy. Single men or those who were looking after their ill partner also emphasised the importance of cooking healthy meals. Brian E found this easy because his mother taught him how to cook, while Brian X admitted that he eats more processed food than he should since his wife died.
Lyn prepares lots of healthy, unprocessed meals and Robin believes this will result in a better quality of life as he ages.
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Robyn: And the supplements we have, you know, I always say if it wasn’t for Lynette [my wife] I’d probably be obese and chronic joint problems and whatever, but because she watches what I eat and the food and tells me what’s rubbish and what’s not, we’ve stayed fairly healthy I think.
Lyn: And I garden a lot, so I grow all my herbs and spinaches and so I just pick them from the garden and use them. I don’t have to go and buy, lots of things I don’t buy because they’re in the garden.
Robyn: Yeah, she loves gardening and I don’t. I have adapted and I’m quite happy to eat most of the stuff that she cooks, you know. You’ve cut down, hardly have any salt. Do you put any salt in the food?
Lyn: I do, but not much.
Robyn: But you know, the salt is gone, we don’t have sugar in anything, in teas or coffee. All those sort of things. You eat more vegetables. She insists, every night. So I have to make sure I take my vegetables with the rest of my food. So I’m quite happy to adapt, you know, to that, because I know in the end it’s a healthier lifestyle. No processed food. She doesn’t even like me having a sausage, you know, which I love, because it’s been processed. But that’s good. In the end I know that that’s going to obviously give me more –
Lyn: A longer life.
Robyn: Not just a longer life, but a better quality of life as I grow older, and that’s what’s important, the quality of life as you grow older. That’s why I’ve tried to keep fit, you know, ride a bike, go for walks, you know, do those sort of things. You try and keep fit so you can have a better quality of life as you age.
Charles prepares all the family meals and has to encourage Lois to eat well.
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Charles: Sometimes you’ll have chops or you can have steak or whatever. Other times we may buy a family pasty or something like that, that usually does us twice, we’ll have it one day and then a couple of days later we’ll have –
Lois: The other half.
Charles: The other half of it and things like that.
Do you find it difficult to prepare meals?
Charles: No.
Lois: No, he’s very good at it
Charles: It’s got to the stage, with Lois not so much with me, because I read the papers and things like that and try and keep up with the news in general, but because of the pain she’ll go and lie down consequently with the drugs she’ll go to sleep. I’ll go to wake her up for her meal and she’ll say “I only want two slices of toast.” and I say “Well, hold on, it’s tea time.”
Lois: [laughter]
Charles: And she’ll say “Oh.” [laughter]
Vitamins and other supplements were frequently taken in addition to a balanced diet, but also to target specific health conditions. Common supplements that participants mentioned taking were fish oil, vitamin D, vitamin B, magnesium, calcium, multivitamins, as well as garlic and turmeric.
Katherine takes a number of supplements in addition to prescribed medication, and found magnesium particularly beneficial.
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I share my house with a person who is more careful than I am about this kind of medication and sometimes I have taken her advice, gone to the doctor and said “should I be doing this as well?” And the doctor has invariably said “it wouldn’t be a bad idea”. I was getting cramps in the night which were absolutely terrible, because you just never got a night’s sleep, up every couple of hours to try and cope with the cramp, and I found out that magnesium was a preventative of cramps and I got into that and I haven’t had a cramp since. So that’s six months or so of taking magnesium, so – sometimes, even though that was not prescribed, that was something I just heard about, they’ve been very good.
And I’m wondering if there are any ageing specific issues as a transgendered woman that you have to consider for your health as you get older?
The major one is the question of hormone therapy, because people who go on hormone therapy are normally on it for life. And most hormone medications say on them, do not take for prolonged periods, so one has to wonder how one can justify one of these statements against the other. I don’t see any way that one can. The other medications that I take are mainly for high blood pressure and for blood thinning purposes, and for anti-cholesterol medications. Krill oil and sort of non-prescription things, are still recommended by the doctor, even though they’re not prescribed. So all kinds of things. And Caltrate, to try and keep my bone capacity up so I won’t fall apart.
Some people spoke about the need to control their weight and how this became harder as they aged. There were various ways in which people lost weight which included weight loss programs, lap band surgery, fasting and not buying unhealthy food. Simply eating less as people aged, however, was more common than dieting. In contrast, a few participants pointed out their loss of appetite which meant they needed to make sure they were eating enough.
Edith has lost weight and finds it easier if she avoids buying anything like cakes and scones at the supermarket.
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I think you should watch your weight all your life, but we were brought up in the country and you lived on, and I think that’s where it started, where you lived on a lot of mashed potato, and I think that’s not good for you, but even though we had all the fresh veggies and that as well, I think because Mum used to cook scones and cakes, and that’s where you put all the weight on as a child, and I sort of still was doing that for many years, but my weight was just getting more and more and more and eventually, I just had to stop and think, well you’ve got to do something about it, and now I’m at a reasonable weight. Maybe for my height, I’m still overweight, but I try and watch what I eat now. I mean, like I say, the fruit and veggies, I don’t bake, or do any scones or cakes or anything myself any more, and I try not to eat the ones in the shops, so I try and just eat sensibly, I suppose … when you go and do your food shopping, you’ve just got to make sure that you do the right choices there so that you are only eating at home the things that you, not taking scones or cakes or cream or things home, because if it’s in the cupboard, you’re going to eat it, so I don’t buy them. I’ve even stopped buying, once a fortnight, I used to buy either an éclair or something that had cream with it and I don’t buy them any more either, so then they’re not in the house and you can’t eat them.
Dot was skipping meals because she had little desire to eat. She now has a wristband that allows her son to monitor her activities.
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Diet, my mother was a vegetarian so though I will eat meat, in my old age I’m turning more to vegetarianism and I find that’s all right. Although I was concerned recently that I was losing energy, I went through a very tired period and it was my son who discovered that I was skipping meals and not eating because food didn’t matter to me. I had no desire to eat, so having found that I’m now you might notice I’ve got a wrist band which connects to him through the computer and he can check on how much mum has walked today and what she’s been doing and eating. So it’s very helpful to have or to be monitored in that way.
So you do find it helpful?
Yes I do, it’s non-intrusive it’s just there and I enjoy him looking after me from a distance.
Can you take me through that process of how you started with that wrist band?
It was at the son’s suggestion not mine, I hadn’t heard about it. But he realised that I get so caught up with what I’m doing, I’m doing still a lot of written work on the computer and I need to write more articles. I get immersed in that and don’t always come down to eat, and in fact I’ve noticed even this week I was having brunch, breakfast and lunch combined and thereby missing a meal. So I have to watch myself that I don’t establish that as a pattern.
So are you comfortable with the idea of the wrist band when your son first suggested it to you?
Oh yes, yes, I’ve found him most helpful and his partner, so I’m in complete agreeance with what they suggest.
So with the eating Dot, you said that it held no interest for you, was that because of becoming immersed with what you were doing or other reasons?
Yes because I am immersed upstairs in written work and it means I need to come down, but also it’s not very fascinating to make a meal just for yourself, when there’s others it’s a delight to create something edible that’s a pleasure for everyone. But when it’s just yourself you’re really not interested at all. I think this is common, I had quite a few people who used to ring me they’ve now passed away, but they’d ring up and say what are you having for tea tonight Dot, because they too didn’t feel like eating and were not inspired.
All three Aboriginal participants pointed out the importance of food, particularly bush food, for maintaining health and wellbeing. Collecting bush food also contributed to exercise through walking and digging. Participants from Eastern Europe spoke about increased food availability in Australia and how they are tempted by the abundance of sweet food, meat and bread.
Elaine M describes the bush foods that keep people strong. She talks about the difficulty balancing Western and Yolngu ways of living.
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We in the early mission days we were strong, all the young, all the older people they were strong. Even though they were getting older but they were still strong because they were eating goanna, turtle, wallaby, berries, yams. Always there was something, and walking all the time. They were feeling fit and well and healthy. Even though they were getting older they were getting support. But now we’re in a system where we live in mixed Balanda [foreign]/Yolngu, and maybe the food we eat is not right, we’re not cooking food properly and these are the things that we, are not going into that routine where Balanda [white people] has to go and have that food every day or have fruits every day. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe we’re feeling yaka manymak [not good], maybe it’s a foreign way of living. I know it’s manymak [good] but then again maybe we’re still learning.
Guymun finds that walking and digging for yams helps keep her strong and healthy.
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Guymun (translation): Sitting down makes people weak. They should go to the bush to get fresh food, digging yams in the bush. We knew about digging yams and eating yams. That’s why we are staying strong and healthy.
Translator: Even though I am old woman, I would like to do more gathering bush tucker digging, getting bush tucker and that is why I get strong.
Do you have time to do that in between?
Guymun (translation): My time, my time, big, I strong! My self and watching my, I look after myself inside and body.
Translator: I could see and feel myself inside that I am strong. Watching after my, I look after myself, inside and body. I feel myself strong to walk. If you would say to all the old people “Stand up and walk”
Oscar believes it is important to have three meals a day. He compares the way in which old people were cared for when he was young, to the takeaway food people eat now.
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Oscar: Well like sometimes I eat Weetbix in the morning, you know, because that’s the really good vitamins that you would like to eat, because way back in the olden days we used to – that I remember that we used to eat, it’s like yams but it was cooked and then you cut it into pieces and then you put it into a creek to take the poison away and later on it is really good, like it take couple of days then you take it early in the morning and it really taste really good. And that’s really good for breakfast.
So do people eat that food anymore?
Oscar: No. Not anymore.
Translator: Only inland people. Inland, mainland people.
Oscar: The people are living at outstations. Maybe they do. But this time it’s different story, you know, you have to get it at the store and you have to get the right food, from morning, lunch and evening. But like nowadays everybody, you know, eating food from the takeaway where there is a lot of sugar, oil and salt. And that’s not good for our body.
Yeah way back was in my time old people used to live off the land and they used to move to place to place to place but they used to take the old woman or old man with them. Sometimes they used to carry the old man or old woman because they used to walk maybe distance away but they used to collect food for them. And they used to feed them like every morning, lunch and evening, they used to feed them, and they used to look after the old people.
And the season – there’s a season tells when it’s the season for the collection of the food. And the season tell, we need to go to that particular place so they have to paddle by canoe to probably other side of the river and remain there for maybe couple of months. And they still look after the old people those days.
Well like if you look after the old people nowadays it’s sometimes really difficult. Really difficult because you have to buy food at the store or takeaway but sometimes it’s not really something to be able to help people to buy right food for the old people. Sometimes really difficult. Maybe they feed the old people with probably different type of junk food, you know what I mean? Feeding the old people with different type of food that is not really good for their body and it’s really, really difficult sometimes, because of the prices are really high at the [local] store and the takeaway. So there’s no opportunity to be able to buy cheaper food for the old people and sometimes we can’t help it, you know, we’ve got to buy it and feed them with junk food.
Tamara is grateful for the wide variety of foods available in Australia, and that she can afford them on the pension.
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Here [in Australia], we have a better variety of food products than we had in Ukraine, especially before my migration, in the 90s. People lived partially starving. I worked 40 years there, and my pension was $6 per fortnight, and you have a gas bill for $20. Here you have plenty of everything. And your pension, thanks God that He cares about me and in the most difficult time He helped me to relocate to Australia. Here you cannot resist temptation. I was slim when I came here, and here I increased in weight because you have plenty of everything: meat, salami, milk, buns and bread; and everything is affordable for a pensioner. I am grateful to God and to the Australian Government.
In addition to a healthy diet, participants pointed out the importance of exercise for maintaining health and wellbeing as they aged. Doing some form of exercise was seen as part of looking after themselves and forestalling ailments associated with ageing. People who did exercise described how good it made them feel, both physically and mentally.
Rebecca goes to the gym five days a week. She not only enjoys the exercise, but finds it a good way to relax, meet people, gather her thoughts and have some ‘me’ time.
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I go to the gym, I stay on the treadmill for about 40 – 45 minutes and sitting on the bike for another 20 minutes. Then I do some weights, stretches and things like that. Sometimes I join the classes, you know, Pilates or other relaxation sessions, I’m free to do whatever I choose to do. I will say I spend about a couple of hours every day. Not exercise the whole time because, you know, by the time you have a shower, there’s a relaxation and what you call, you know you lie down there and you listen to the, you know, soft music and just lie down. They’ve got their sauna there you can sit down. You do different things. Also, it’s another place, you meet people you see. You meet people, you make friends, you talk to different people. It’s good, it’s like an outing for me. As I said to you, the exercise is number one for me. Okay. I think by going walking or sit on the bike, or walking around the streets I think, for me, it’s time for me. I spend time for [me], okay, I feel important that I spend time for me. Also, you put your thoughts together. You know, you walk and you think about your day, you think about tomorrow, whatever.
Earl’s GP referred him to an exercise program. He can now walk further, breathe better, has more energy and no longer feels depressed.
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Yeah, that’s the preliminary rehabilitation where they exercise. I was going to Palmerston twice a week for two hours, two hours Tuesday, two hours Thursday, exercising. Like riding the bike and pedalling this and weights and all that you know. After eight weeks I came out of that really well. I felt different all together.
So that was rehabilitation from what?
Well age. It was old aged people. No one would be under 60 would be there and they all say the same thing, they felt better. Where they weren’t exercising before, they are exercising now you know.
So how did you get on to this programme?
Oh the doctors, my GP, she organised it and I’m glad she did. I’m glad I took notice of her otherwise I’d still be down the dumps, feeling crook, you get depressed I suppose, but I’m out of that, I’m out of all that now.
That’s because of the exercise?
Oh yes.
So can you tell me is it just a purely physical thing or is it the act of getting out there and participating?
Oh physical yes. You’ve got to force yourself sometimes to do it but it pays dividends once you’re out there you know and do it.
How long until you started getting results from that, until you started noticing?
Probably five or six weeks before you really got good results. I mean you got results the next day but not as much as say after five weeks or six weeks, then your body really got going, it’s good.
What sort of things did you notice?
Well I was breathing better. I had more energy. I couldn’t walk from here to [the supermarket] before. Now I go down there and back and think nothing of it. Walking, it’s good exercise; that’s how much trouble I was in before. I was having trouble. I was getting to the stage where I was going to use one of those walkers, but the walker’s in the bedroom and I haven’t even touched it. I don’t need it thank good until now. One day I probably will, but at the moment good.
Yeah. What do you want to exercise once a day or die 24 hours a day, 24 hours of seven days a week; that’s what happens. Exercise one hour a day or die. You’re dead the rest of your life. No more exercise.
If
Oscar does not exercise he notices that he is not as strong. He believes that sitting around makes you get older.
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Oscar: Well only if, you get older if you don’t do exercise, just sit around doing nothing, you know. And sometimes when you do that it will make you – lazy and don’t do much work or do exercise…And sometimes like myself if I drive a car all the time – my legs, you know, it get weak because of driving and I need more exercise, jogging or cycling.
Translator: If you are sitting all day that’s when you have the chance to get sick easily.
Oscar: Yes, that’s really true. Like sitting all day without doing anything you can get sick quicker. Your body will get sick quicker.
Translator: You’ll get sick.
Oscar: You’ll get sick all the time. They [all the old people] used to go camping and walking.
Chris points out that it is important to keep your body active as well as your mind.
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It’s pretty straightforward really, I think the more active you are mentally and physically – it’s a matter of being better off but you just feel better. When I go to school reunions for instance and look at people my age, some are old old people and were at 60 and yet others, apart from their physical look, they’re still the people they were back in Year 12. And I think that’s a sign of being engaged both physically and mentally with your environment, I think it’s really really important. So many people just sit around and watch a bit of tele and play a bit of bridge and go to films and that’s about all they do, but I think it’s important to do other things. Being engaged and using your brain and having to work out things and having to organise things and analyse, all of that is really really important.
The most common type of exercise that people did was walking. Some people walked every morning with their partner, others walked their dog regularly. Swimming and cycling were other important forms of exercise, and several people said they did not get home help because cleaning their house kept them active.
Dorothy thinks walking must fulfil a human need. She describes how hard physical activity has become as she has aged.
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Because when [my son] was a baby the family doctor said “now, from now on, do me a favour and do yourself a favour” – we lived in Gordon – “walk to Killara station and back every day, and go uphill at the speed you go downhill, and don’t miss”. So the days I don’t walk, because my back hurts or I’m a bit busy, I really miss it. But there’s a lot of people around here – well, half a dozen – who walk, who say “oh yes, I must have my walk”, so it must fulfil a need that we’re really not aware of.
What about your walking – has that changed as you’ve been getting older?
It’s slowed down a lot [laughs], and I don’t walk anywhere that’s unfamiliar anymore. I used to walk to Glenrose in 18 minutes. I stopped doing that because I was so tired when I got there I was stumbling, and I thought ‘well I’ll stop doing this’, so then I walked along Forest Way, but that was very tiring. But I think that might have been before I had the stents put in. But then just general fatigue slows me down, and when your ears ring and you really can’t see, I think it’s time to knock it off a bit. I ride on that bike for about half a minute a couple of times a day, but that really stirs my back up. I think it’s the height of the seat, and I get off and think ‘oh my back – why am I doing this?’ But I’m out of breath, so it must be doing something [laughs].
Colleen stays healthy by keeping active, including doing her own housework, and having regular health checks.
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Well, I go regularly and have a blood test every year, just to keep a check on sugar, cholesterol, etc. If I do think there’s anything wrong, attack it straight away. Go and check it out. I still keep up with all my own work, keep myself so involved with your own housework and everything, keep yourself as active. Perhaps I should do a lot more exercise than I do, but just keeping yourself well-involved right through the picture. As you can see, a lot of books, if you want to, I do scrapbooking, all sorts of things, going out for dinner with various groups, working at the local craft shop, there’s plenty of things you can do. You don’t have to be idle and lonely. Have your regular check-ups, health check-ups. As soon as you feel that there’s anything really particular, go and see your GP. If you’re not happy with the GP’s decision, certainly, there’s no harm in getting a second opinion. Keep yourself active, refrain from alcohol and tobacco, and all that stuff. I think it has a major role in health, there’s no question about that. Eat healthily, try and do a bit of good exercise, keep yourself very active, and just make the best of every day.
While some people felt they should be doing more exercise than they currently do, there were many reasons given for why exercise was difficult in old age. Some people still worked full time or felt they did not have the time to exercise, other people experienced aches and pains or were afraid of falls, especially when walking on uneven ground such as at the beach. Exercise was particularly difficult for participants who had broken an arm or a leg, had a stroke or had problems with their vascular system.
Leonie avoids group exercise classes because they are too fast and she is afraid she could fall.
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But I’ve gone and had a look at … Prime Movers which I used to attend until about two years ago or thereabouts. And they’re too fast, I can do a lot with it but it’s just too fast and I’m frightened of it at this stage. But that’s only because I’m frightened, not because I can’t, I don’t know whether I could do it or not, I can do a certain amount but a lot of it is too fast.
Is there anything that would be specifically designed for, I mean a lot of these exercises are for say the over 60s but as you get older into your 80s and 90s is there anything specifically for older people?
No, I wish there were. They’ve been very good in making it from 50 up but by the time you get to 60 or 70 it becomes a little more difficult to say the least. And it’s not a question of difficulty of not being able to do it, it’s a question of being frightened to fall. A fall at your age is a bloody nuisance because you may have to have a plaster or whatever but a fall at a later age is whether it will heal and heal properly, and how long it will take to heal. And the shock itself is pretty awful at that stage. So you tend to be careful.
It was widely recognised amongst participants that diet and exercise were important for healthy ageing. There were, however, many other preventative measures which people said contributed to good health such as regular health checks, not smoking, drinking very little alcohol, getting enough rest and relaxation, seeing a naturopath, a chiropractor and having regular therapeutic massage.
Nora lee believes there is a lot you can do to keep yourself healthy.
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You don’t have to hide in a booze bottle. If your health isn’t good, do something about it. If you’re not happy with your doctor, try a naturopath. There’s all sorts of complementary medicines out there now. But don’t just sit at home drinking beer all day long, or booze, and watching the TV. That goes the same for women and with men. You want to sit around and feel sorry for yourself and have nothing but negative thoughts, then your life is going to be miserable. Whether you’re in a nursing home, retirement village or in your own place, it’s a beautiful world out there. The sun comes up every morning. Sun goes down every night. Moon comes up every 30 days. Mother Nature just keeps doing her thing. That’s what I want to do. Just keep doing my thing.
Having a fortnightly massage helps
Margaret to relax and keeps her pain-free.
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I’m fortunate I have a deep tissue massage once a fortnight. I’ve been having that for seven years from the one guy. It’s great, he comes here. I’ve never had lots of time off and relaxing so I figured it’s better to have quality rather than quantity so that massage has been critical for me. And because he’s such an amazing guy it’s actually kept me now pain-free and out of the, away from the chiropractor so much. Just a point on that, for the first year when I was 20 kilos heavier and I would have this massage every week I would scream for the whole hour it was so painful. I lost that 20 kilos and now I enjoy my massage. So that was an interesting side, I kept at it. But yeah, it’s so, yeah, so that for me was quantity over, quality over quantity. And it’s my health. Even though I work so long and hard it really, my health is still priority. But I don’t relax enough.
Healthy ageing was also about having a balanced life. Having a social life, personal interests and mental stimulation were seen as crucial to overall wellbeing (see interview above with Colleen; see Interests and activities; see Friends and community; see Technology). Several people mentioned that having a sense of humour was important. Having strong spiritual beliefs also contributed to people’s health. For example, it facilitated Olga’s recovery from personal trauma and Tamara pointed out that “a healthy spirit means a healthy body”.
Having a sense of humour has helped
Sabihe through hard times.
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Well I do try to eat good food, although I haven’t been eating good food during this hot weather, it’s just too much to cook. Fruit, vegetables, and if I cook I try to cook something healthy, and I love swimming, so I go swimming often. Because I can’t walk, I don’t walk much, but – what was it? Saturday, when I went to the ocean with my daughter, her friend and my granddaughter just played and played in the water, and people can’t believe that I’m [laughs] 71; everybody says, “oh you don’t look it”. I say, “well I don’t want to be 71 [laughs]; it’s just numbers”. So, I um, my daughter gets upset when my grandkids call me “crazy old woman”, but that’s probably what I am. I’m crazy, I play with kids, you know? I get on the floor and do what the little babies do, I play with the dog and I pretend I’m a dog [laughs]. And I really, truly – I’d like you to really emphasize on this – having your sense of humour. Never lose it. That’s what has got me this far. I’ve been through hell and back, but the sense of humour has always helped me and I – because I worked with refugees and asylum seekers for a long, long time, that’s one of my theories because they lose their sense of humour through torture or whatever they’ve been through. The best thing the doctors and the psychiatrists and the psychologists can do is to help them regain their sense of humour. Once you start laughing at what’s happening you’re on the way to recovery.
Guymun’s belief in God helps her feel strong.
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Translator: Your blood pressure is better. That’s good. Is there anything in you that is telling you that you are getting old, that you feel inside. What do you feel?
Guymun (translation): I feel very strong because I feel that the Creator that is in me is making me strong.
Can we just do, little bit explain
Translator: One thing that I, when I feel that situation of getting old I feel that it’s coming towards me and I’m already an old person but the only thing that I, making me strong and active and healthy by because I am serving God and God is, you know, he is with me and guiding me and that’s how I feel strong.
Oscar believes that living well is about looking after yourself and your community, your mind and your soul.
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It’s the spirit that we believe it will cure our sickness, you know, it would take away and we feel better because of the spirit, the good spirit, to take away the sickness that we have.
Yes when I was young and when I’m getting old, like I am now, you get the spirit of that and it’s a spirit that you feel if you look after yourself, your mind and soul and everything, you will live longer because you believe in it. And if you don’t you wear out quicker because your mind and soul is not really working really good because you’re thinking of something that is really bad. Because you have to look after yourself to think about the best way of living, to look after your community and yourself. And if you don’t you wear out quicker.